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Anyone Hear of a Prius Catching Fire?

89 messages,  Last post on Aug 05, 2009 at 3:25 PM

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What is this discussion about? Toyota Prius, Hybrid Cars, Hatchback, Sedan

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#20 of 89 Re: My mom had a 70s era Pontiac GTO that caught on fire.... [larsb] by gagrice Jul 02, 2007 (4:17 pm)
Replying to: larsb (Jul 02, 2007 2:34 pm) You know this is not true. Cars rarely catch fire sitting idle for a long period of time. There have been several Prius fires directly related to the traction battery. I don't know if this is one that was part of the battery recall or not. If so and the owner failed to take it in? I would be a bit nervous parking one in my garage attached to the house.   I know you don't like it but the Hybrids attract media attention. Who would care if a 2005 Focus caught fire? Unless it burnt down half the county it would not get any write-ups.
#21 of 89 Gentlemen by pf_flyer HOST Jul 02, 2007 (4:36 pm)
We are NOT going to do this again in another topic. We get it. You disagree about hybrids.   Let's stop this before it gets any legs please. Replies to this message: kirstie_h (Jul 02, 2007 4:51 pm)
#22 of 89 Re: Gentlemen [pf_flyer] by kirstie_h HOST Jul 02, 2007 (4:51 pm)
Replying to: pf_flyer (Jul 02, 2007 4:36 pm) And, let's remember that it is never a big deal til it happens to you. Hybrid or not, it is extremely unsettling, so let's let members express themselves.   I know I would be blown away if my (non-hybrid) car caught fire.
#23 of 89 Re: My mom had a 70s era Pontiac GTO that caught on fire.... [larsb] by suzikn Jul 02, 2007 (9:52 pm)
Replying to: larsb (Jul 02, 2007 2:34 pm) I don't know of other cars that catch on fire when no one is in them.   A car fire is a big deal whether or not it is a hybrid or not.   My sister-in-law's car caught on fire when my niece was a tiny baby strapped into the carseat next to her. My sister-in-law barely caught my niece out of the car alive.   If our Prius had been parked in the garage, I don't know what would have happened to our house. My son's room is right above the garage. It's a scary thought. Thank God, our garage is a total mess right now and we didn't park it.   Car fires (hybrid or not) are a serious matter, and you want to find out what started them in order to prevent them.   I would hate for another Prius to catch on fire and someone be killed. Replies to this message: larsb (Jul 03, 2007 5:53 am) suzikn (Jul 03, 2007 7:53 am)
#24 of 89 Re: My mom had a 70s era Pontiac GTO that caught on fire.... [suzikn] by larsb Jul 03, 2007 (5:53 am)
Replying to: suzikn (Jul 02, 2007 9:52 pm) Completely agree with all your posts in regard to the serious nature of car fires and how they should be taken seriously.   But my point is that there is nothing inherent to the Prius that makes it more flammable than other cars.   I did this research a couple of years ago and there are TONS of incidents of cars catching on fire that were not hybrid cars, and VERY VERY few incidents of hybrid fires.   Anyone trying to say that the Prius is a dangerous, flammable, self-combustible vehicle, well that is just not a true statement.   A Google search of "Prius fire" returns 16 hits, and 5 of those are Suzikn's. Only one of them refers to anyone's Prius catching on fire - there was one 2005 story about a guy whose Prius caught on fire overnite at the dealership, but who knows what could have caused that. There was another story I remember about a Prius which crashed into a convenience store and the gas leaked and it caused a fire.   A Google News search of Prius fire returns no news stories of Prius fires.   At the NTHSA complaint website, there are 2 instances of Prius fires, both in the 2001 model year. There was a recall for a leakage problem on those vehicles which might have caused those fires.   There are about 500,000 or slightly more Priuses in the world on the roads right now, and if there was an issue with the traction battery being self-flammable and/or a fire danger, that information would be ALL OVER THE PLACE and would be constantly used by the   Anti-Prius Anti-Hybrid Anti-Toyota   crowds to forward their own interests. And believe me because I know this is a fact: There are A LOT of people who want to see the Prius fail. And they would be using this like a Golden Hammer if it was a real problem.   I am very sorry about your Prius fire, but it was not because the Prius is a hybrid. Car fires happen. Replies to this message: suzikn (Jul 03, 2007 7:53 am)
#25 of 89 Re: My mom had a 70s era Pontiac GTO that caught on fire.... [larsb] by suzikn Jul 03, 2007 (7:53 am)
Replying to: larsb (Jul 03, 2007 5:53 am) "But my point is that there is nothing inherent to the Prius that makes it more flammable than other cars."   Well, the one thing that is inherent to our Prius is that we got it the first year. Whenever you have new technology there is a higher chance that there could be problems. The fire did start in the battery which is the newest technology in the car.   Just because there haven't been many Prius fires (thank God), doesn't mean there isn't still a problem that is just coming out in these later years of use.   You said "There was a recall for a leakage problem on those vehicles which might have caused those fires."   It was not a recall with the leakage problem. That's one of my issues that I have with Toyota. It was a Special Service Campaign, and it was not supposed to cause a fire. The most it was supposed to do if you didn't get it fixed was cause the engine to stall.   If a leakage could cause a fire (which according to the letter that we got from Toyota is the case), then Prius for that model should be recalled. A recall is a much larger and more publicized action.   I know when we've had recalls, the envelopes that are sent out usually say in large letters RECALL. I immediately open those and find out what is going on.   Also, recall information goes on many websites and it's easy to find out if a car has a recall. You can't do the same with a "Special Service Campaign".
#27 of 89 Re: There is nothing "flammable" about the Gen 1 Prius batteries [larsb] by gagrice Jul 03, 2007 (8:54 am)
It could be in just the 2001 model. That would be a very few cars. The other one that caught fire on the dealers lot was also a 2001 model. The sad part is Toyota did not give him replacement cost on the totaled Prius.
#28 of 89 Re: Pirus Fire: [feffer37] by jbarnhart Jul 22, 2007 (10:38 am)
Replying to: feffer37 (Apr 10, 2007 7:29 am) Oddly enough, a good friend just called me because his 2001 Prius just spontaneously caught fire and burned in his driveway. The source of ignition seems to be the traction battery. I'm sure he would be interested in exchanging information. Email me at joe(dot)barnhart(at)gmail(dot)com Replies to this message: gagrice (Jul 22, 2007 3:58 pm) jbarnhart (Jul 23, 2007 8:33 am) gagrice (Jul 23, 2007 8:41 am) and 1 more... suzikn (Jul 27, 2007 3:28 pm) and 5 more...
#29 of 89 Re: Pirus Fire: [jbarnhart] by gagrice Jul 22, 2007 (3:58 pm)
Replying to: jbarnhart (Jul 22, 2007 10:38 am) Welcome to the forum.   If you have any of the particulars, like a newspaper article or pictures, be sure and post them for us all to see. Replies to this message: jbarnhart (Jul 23, 2007 8:33 am) gagrice (Jul 23, 2007 8:41 am) stevedebi (Jul 27, 2007 1:43 pm) suzikn (Jul 27, 2007 3:28 pm) gagrice (Jul 29, 2007 5:35 am) and 4 more...

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